It is important to be able to make the distinction between articles from scholarly (peer-reviewed), trade journals, and popular magazines. Verify what type you will need for your assignment.
For help, see our comparison chart or watch the following video, “Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals” courtesy of Peabody Library, Vanderbilt University.
Tip: You will often come across the word periodical instead of journal. A periodical is simply a publication that is produced on a “periodical” basis and may be published weekly, monthly, or on an annual basis. Newspapers, journals and magazines are all types of periodicals.
It may be difficult to distinguish between a scholarly and a popular article when you see them in electronic form. Our databases allow you to limit your search to academic or peer-reviewed articles.
Remember to identify your keywords before you start. For information on the use of subject terms, read the Using Subject Headings page.
Here are the main article databases available at the library:
